Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-05-31

mountain, piercing even to the bed of the
lake. But first they cut the channel that thou
seest across the plain. Then, when at last the
water burst out, it rushed down the channe
| that had been made 30 receive it and crossed
this plain till IL reached the low land behind
the rise, and there, perchance, 1t made the
swamp through which we have come. Then,
when the lake was drained dry, tho people
whereof speak built mighty city, whereof
naught but ruins and the name of Kor yet re-
maineth, on its bed, and from age TO age
hewed the caves and passages that thou wilt
seen
ut may be- answered "But If so, how
is 1t that the lakes do not fill up again with
the rainsi"
NAY, my son, the people were q wise peo-
pie, and they left drain to keep it clear.
Secst thou the river TO the right ~ and he
pointed to a fair-sized stream that wound
away across the plain, some four miles from
us. "That is the drain, and it comes out
through the mountain where this cutting
goes in. At first, perhaps, the water ran
down this canal but afterward the people
turned 1t, and used the cutting for road
%And is there, then, no other place where
one may enter into tho great mountain
"There is a place." no answered, awhere
cattle and men on foot may cross with much
h,hor, but it is secret A year highest thou
search and shouldst never find 1t. 1t is only
used once year, when the herds of cattle
that have been fatting ON the slopes of the
mountain, and on this plain, are driven into
the space within"
"And does She live there always ~ asked
tain n
"Nay, my son, where She is, there She is.n
BY now we were well OH 20 the great plain,
and was examining with delight the varied
beauty OF its semi-tropical flowers and trees,
the latter Of which grew singly, or at most in
clumps Of three or four, much of the timber
being of large size, and belonging apparently
TO variety of evergreen oak. There were
also many palms, some of them more than
100 feet high, and the largest and most beau
tiful tree ferns that ever saw, about which
hung clouds OF jeweled honey suckers and
great winged butterflies Wandering about
among the trees, or crouching in the long and |
feathered grass, were all varieties of game |
from rhinoceros down. saw rhinoceros, |
buffalo IN large herd, Gland, quagga and |
able antelope, tho most beautiful of all the |
bucks, not to mention many smaller varieties
Of game, and three ostriches which scudded
away at our approach like white drift before
A gale. SO plentiful was the game that at
asst / could stand it no longer had single
barrel sporting Martini with me in the litter,
he Express being too cumbersome, and
spying n beautiful fat Gland rubbing himself
inder one of the oak like trees, jumped out OF
he litter, and proceeded to creep as near to
lin as / could. He let me come within so
ards, and then turned his head and stared l
t me preparatory to running away. lifted
he rifle, and taking him about midway down
he shoulder, for he was side on TO me, fired.
never made cleaner shot or better kill In
ii my small experience, for the great buck
prung right up into the air and fell dead.
The bearers, who had all halted to see the
gave a murmur Of surprise !
N unwonted compliment from these sullen {
eople, who never appear 10 DO surprised at
nything-and party OF the guard at once
IN of to cut the animal up As for myself, {
Tough l was longing TO have n look at him, l
sauntered back to my litter as though had
zen in the habit of killing Gland all my life,
cling that had gone up several degrees in '
10 estimation Of the Amahagger, who looked 4
l the whole thing as a very high class mani 1
station OF witchcraft. AS matter Of fact, 4
owever, L had never seen an Gland in a wild II
ate before. Billah received me with enthu 5
asm II
at is wonderful, my son the Baboon,n no y
led, wonderful Thou art very great n
an, though so ugly. Had not seen, surely d
would never have believed. And thou q
vest thou wilt teach me to STAY in this
shiongn
Certainly, my father, !" 1 said, airily; ut is
,thing." a
But all the same, firmly made up my o
ind that when "my father" B1lali began to y
&c, would without fail lie down or take a
fuge behind n tree. a
After this little incident nothing happened I
any note till about an hour and a half be- g
re shutdown, when we arrived beneath tho n
ndow Of the towering volcanic mass that l y
We already described. 1t is quite impossi-
} for me to describe its grim grandeur as Il
to mo while my patient be.rers 3
led along the bed Of the ancient water
lrse toward the spot where the rich brown II
I'd cliff shot up from precipice to precipice !.
its crown lost itself in cloud. All can II
7 is that it almost awed me by the intensity
its lonesome and most solemn greatness
! we went up the bright and sunny slope q
at last the creeping shadows from above 4
allowed up its brightness, and presently
began to pass through cutting hewn in
living rock. Deeper and deeper grew E
is marvellous work, which must, l should +
y, have employed thousands Of men for n,
my years. Indeed, how twas ever executed 81
all without the aid of blasting powder or Of
nnmitc can not to this day imagine. 1t %
and must remain one Of the mysteries of CT
S wild land. can only suppose that these al
things aud the rocks 1t pierced were the &
tie undertakings Of the people of Kor, who g
ed here In the dim lost ages Of the world, n
d, as in the case Of the Egyptian monu- "
,nts, were executed by the forced labor Of =,
II Of thousands Of capdves, carried on IN
rough an indefinite number of centuries Nj
It who were the peoplGi X
At last VIC reached th1 face of the precipice 4.
elf, and found ourselves looking into the ii
'uth of n dark tunnel that forcibly re- g.
nded me Of those undertaken by our Nine III III
nth century engineers in the construction :
railway lines. Out of this tunnel flowed a
siderable stream of water. Indeed,
,ugh do not think that have mentioned
we had followed this stream which ulti- 4
Itely developed into the river have already |
icribed as winding away to tho right from
} spot where the cutting in the solid rock
Half of this cutting formed
innel for the stream and half, which was X
ced on slightly higher level--eiglt feet =
'haps-was devoted to the purposes Of Z
Idway. At the termination of tho cutting,
viewer, tho stream turned off across tho :
in and followed n channel of its own. At h
mouth OF the cave the cavalcado was V
ted, and while the men employed them =
yes in lighting some earthenwaro lamps q
y had brought with them, Bilai, descend ~
from his litter, informed mo politely but :
My that the orders of She were that we
70 now to be blindfolded, so that we should
learn tho secret Of tho paths through tho \
wells OF the mountains To this OF course XII
ented cheerfully enough, but Job, who III
now very much better, Notwithstanding
Journey, did not like IL at all, fancying,
love, That 1t was but preliminary step to 7
ng hot rotted. He was, however, little
isoied when pointed Out 10 him that iileis
no no hot pots handy, and, SO far as l -
wv, no fire TO heat them in. As for poor I'll
}, after turning restlessly for hours, ho IN
!, to my deep thankfulness, at last dropped
into n sleep or stupor, don't know which,
hero was no need to blindfold him The
was performed by binding
"a ~ tho xrolinuipl Ii,n,, ,..i,a.aze -